Resorts & AdventuresResorts & AdventuresPhoto: Nikolai Bulykin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Alma-Arasan is located in Prokhodnoye Gorge, on the southwestern outskirts of Almaty, at an elevation of 1827 meters. The river flowing through the gorge is called Prokhodnaya — a tributary of the Bolshaya Almatinka. You can reach it by car or by public transport on bus №28 to the final stop "Olen", then continue on foot following the signs. The road here goes in the same direction as to Big Almaty Lake. Only at the junction you need to turn toward the springs rather than the lake — the routes diverge, though they start almost next to each other. On site there are more than 16 hydrogen sulfide and radon springs with temperatures of 30–38°C, equipped with pools, changing rooms, showers and gazebos. The location operates year-round.
The springs were discovered in 1931, when 16 thermal springs were found on the slopes along Prokhodnaya. That same year, the Alma-Arasan sanatorium was opened based on these springs — a health resort of all-Union significance, where people came to receive treatment from across the Soviet Union, not just from Kazakhstan. The sanatorium operated for almost sixty years and closed in 1990, at the sunset of the Soviet era. In the nineties, the territory was privatized, and it never reopened as a sanatorium. The spring zone itself received a new lease on life only in 2019, when Ile-Alatau National Park completely improved the territory: renovated the pools, installed gazebos and showers. Thus, the bathhouse, which began as a Soviet health resort of all-Union scale, after nearly three decades of disuse became a well-maintained natural park.
The gorge around the springs is not just about water: there are cool waterfalls and a roaring mountain river here. It reminds you that you are still high in the mountains, not in a city spa. Trails from Prokhodnoye Gorge lead further toward the passes of the Zailiysky Alatau, so the springs combine well with an easy hiking walk before or after bathing. Many come here especially in winter or in the off-season: warm water against a backdrop of snow — exactly what makes it worth venturing here during the cold season. Entrance is paid: a small ecological fee at the national park checkpoint, usually in cash. Nearly a hundred years have passed from the first discovery of the springs in 1931 to today. Alma-Arasan is one of the longest-lived resort areas near Almaty, albeit in a completely different form than it was during the Soviet period.